Supporting cities and communities around the world

The coronavirus crisis is being felt around the world by all the communities we serve. Our teams are working 24/7 to assist public health authorities in their response to the pandemic, and to take actions that support drivers and delivery people, customers, and our business partners, both large and small.

To ensure Uber’s efforts are grounded in the latest medical advice, we’re consulting with an epidemiologist and are engaged with top experts. Here are the latest developments in our ongoing global response.

Supporting public safety

Supporting public health authorities: Working with public health authorities, we may temporarily suspend the accounts of users confirmed to have contracted or been exposed to COVID-19. The guidelines for Public Health Authorities can be found here.

Safety education: We’re displaying in-app messages reminding riders to travel only when necessary and encouraging riders and drivers to take steps to protect themselves. In addition, we’ve compiled safety tips and recommendations specifically geared toward ridesharing and food delivery, in close partnership with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Go Online checklist and mask verification: Before a driver or delivery person can go online, they will be asked to confirm that they’ve taken certain safety measures and are wearing a mask or face cover. Our new technology will verify if the driver is wearing a mask by asking them to take a selfie. Drivers and riders are also encouraged to cancel trips if they don’t feel safe.

Suspension of Uber Pool: To support social distancing, we have temporarily suspended the Uber Pool service around the world.

“Leave at door” delivery: We advise Eats customers to use the no-contact feature by selecting “leave at door” at checkout or communicating instructions directly to delivery people in-app.

Supporting transit agencies: Our transit team is available to provide a range of services in partnership with transit agencies based on local needs. For example, in Canada, we partnered with the Town of Innisfil to expand their transit service to cover grocery and pharmacy destinations. Transit agencies can directly reach our team here.

Open Covid Pledge: We want to help scientists and others work towards solutions that could end the crisis and minimize its impact. By making our patents available free of charge to those working to end the pandemic, we ensure uncertainties around patent rights will not slow or impede urgently needed solutions in this critical time.

Supporting healthcare workers and vulnerable populations:

10M free rides and deliveries: We’ve committed to provide 10 million rides and food deliveries to healthcare workers, seniors and people in need, free of charge. We’re ready to work with more cities, food banks, hospitals and others around the world to move whatever matters most to them. Organizations and governmental entities looking for support can submit their request directly through this form.

Supporting frontline workers: Uber Health is helping provide transportation for frontline health care workers, both to and from patients’ homes, as well as between healthcare facilities. In the US, Uber is partnering with 1199SEIU, one of the country’s largest healthcare unions, to help frontline healthcare workers with the closest proximity to areas most affected by the pandemic. We have donated 1 million dollars in rides and food to healthcare workers in New York City. In regions outside of the US, we’ve launched Uber Medics to support frontline workers, and in London we’re offering 200,000 free rides to all NHS staff. We’re also committing 300,000 free meals to first responders and healthcare workers in the US and Canada, 100,000 in London and 25,000 in Australia and New Zealand.

Vulnerable populations: We’ve launched discounted rides inSF, Washington DC, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Seattle to connect low-income and vulnerable communities to food. We’re also helping vulnerable populations and frontline healthcare workers through nationwide partnerships with Feeding America and World Central Kitchen.We’re delivering medication in South Africa together with The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and in India by working with MedLine. In Spain, we’ve partnered with Save the Children to deliver essential goods to those in need.

Domestic violence survivors: With experts reporting a surge in domestic violence globally, many shelters and service providers are seeking urgent assistance. We’ve partnered with domestic violence organizations and local governments in 35 cities across 16 countries to provide 50,000 free rides to shelters and safe spaces, and more than 45,000 free meals.

Donations: We’ve enabled Uber employees to donate their monthly Uber credits to charities to support their ongoing response to the pandemic.

Supporting our community and the local economy

Drivers & delivery people:

Financial assistance: Any driver or delivery person who is diagnosed with COVID‑19, or is individually asked to self-isolate by a public health authority due to a risk of spreading the virus, can be eligible for up to 14 days of financial assistance while their account is on hold. We are also working with our rental car partners in Australia, Brazil, the UK and the US to help drivers who cannot work to return their rented vehicles with no penalty.

Creating more work opportunities: We’ve made it easier for drivers to find other work by introducing the Work Hub, featuring earning opportunities on the Uber platform and with other companies. We’ve also announced our plans to accelerate grocery deliveries on Uber Eats, with the launch of partnerships with supermarket chains Carrefour in France and bigbasket in India, and convenience store Galp in Spain.

Cleaning supplies: We’ve allocated $50 million to purchase supplies such as masks, disinfectant sprays and wipes, hand sanitizer, and gloves.We have started to distribute disinfectant sprays and ear-loop face masks, and we’ll continue to source and ship supplies to drivers and delivery people around the world. Thousands of sanitation kits have also been sent to small carriers that use the Uber Freight platform.

COVID-19 Resources Hub: We’ve launched an in-app COVID-19 Resources Hub for drivers and delivery people, where they can find the latest safety information and other resources for driving and delivering during this unprecedented period. The hub is available globally and is the go-to spot for safety tips, help with applying for financial relief, and information on additional earning opportunities.

Uber Eats restaurant partners:

Restaurant support: We’ve worked hard to drive customer demand to independent restaurants around the world with international marketing efforts, and have launched a daily pay-out feature to help restaurant cash flows as on-premise dining continues to suffer. After waiving the Delivery Fee on orders from independent restaurants in the US, we have been continuing our efforts with free one month trials of the Eats Pass, which gives customers unlimited $0 delivery fees.

Restaurant onboarding: As restaurants are required to close their doors, delivery options like ordering through Uber Eats can help them keep their business going. We’ve made it quicker and easier for new restaurants to join Uber Eats, reducing wait times to less than 24 hours for sign-ups.

Restaurant donations: Uber Eats users over a dozen countries are able to contribute to their favorite local restaurants directly from the app at checkout. Users around the world have contributed nearly $10M to date. In the US, Uber matched contributions with a donation to the Restaurant Employee Relief Fund.

Uber Freight shippers and carriers:

Supporting small shippers: Uber Freight is committed to helping small shippers manage the increased costs during this critical time. In the first weeks of the pandemic, all FMCSA emergency relief loads booked using the Uber Freight shipper platform were priced at zero profit for Uber Freight.

Offering warm meals for truck drivers: All truck drivers hauling loads through the Uber Freight app, receive a weekly $20 credit towards any meal ordered on Uber Eats in the US. More details on these efforts can be found here.

Our team continues to work around the clock to do everything we can to support the communities we serve. We’re committed to keeping you informed on our ongoing response and we’ll share more updates here in the weeks to come.